Combined can and opener



G. A. BARDE'T ET AL comamnn CAN AND 0mm Sept. 13, 1927 Filed June 16.1926 Inventors Fania. (ah/r1 y Patented Sept. 13, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. BARDET, OF BERKELEY, AND WILFORD E. BURNS, OF BURLINGAME, CALIFO BNIA, ASSIGNOBS TO 'M. J. B. 00., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

comBINED CAN AND OPENER.

Application filed June 16, 1926. Serial No. 116,392.

Our invention has for its object a can formed, rolled and sealed andprovided with a flanged portion for frictionally engaging and holding anopener or key member adapted to open the said can.

Another object is a can of the character described in combination withthe said-key or opener.

A further object is a can adapted to retain its contents under a vacuumor pressure and which may be readily opened by the user leaving thesevered portions, namely t e body of the can and cover, or top, so thatthe two parts will frictionally engage, without any accessory .means,and thus enable the top to be employed as a cover to retain pure and outof contact with the air, the partially used contents. One of the endportions, as the bottom or top of the said can being provided with africtionally engaging portion to grip an opener or key member. The saidmember is adapted to open the said can and is thus mounted incombination therewith.

A further object is a can of the character described in which the coverengages frictionally with the body portion and is initially sealed tothe body portion by a double seam and which may be opened by employing akey member engaging a tearing strip around the body and immediately adajacent to the cover double seam, after which may be can having athe twoparts, that is the cover and the body, frictionally engaged to cover thecan during the use of the contents at intervals, the top of said canbeing provided with a frictionally engaging flange portion'to grip andhold the key or opener, in combination with said member.

Another-object is a can of the character described, adapted as a packagefor vacuum coffee, the top of the said flanged portion constructed andadapted to frictionally grip and hold a removable key or opener foropening the said can. .Also such a can in combination with the said keyor opener. 7

Other objects will appear from the'drawingrand specifications whichfollow:

packed ground hese objects we accomplish bytpressing rolling orotherwise forming one of the end portions and preferably the top of thecan,

with a flanged portion over which or within which a key or opener isadapted to fit.

Frictional engagement is attained between the flanged portion and thekey, by forming the key of suitable material and shape so that it willspring into or out of engagement with the said flanged portion.

The key is employed by the user by being lifted from frictionalengagement with the flangedportion and thereafter engaging a known asherring bone scorings, thus pro-" viding a narrow tearing strip in thecan body'immediately adjacent the double seam by which the cover or topis attached.

The cover of the can we prefer to flange inwardly and which frictionallyengages with a peripheral internally projecting bead in the bodyportion, and after the tearing strip is removed the top or cover may bedepressed so that any part of the flanged portion engages frictionallyover the inner periphery of the said bead, as set forth in copendingapplication Ser. No. 109,502, filed May 17, 1926, to which reference isherein made.

By referring to the accompanying drawing, our invention will be madeclear.

Fig. 1 is a cross section through an upper portion of a can employingour invention and along the line II of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a cross section of the cover of Fig. 1 on the line IIIIthereof.

Fig. 3' is an alternate form of our invention and showing the can topand body portion after the tearing strip has been removed, and is on theline IIIIII of Fig. 4.

Fi .4 is a cross section of Fig. 3 on'the line %V IV thereof.

' Fig. 5 illustratesthe scoring lines and herring bone scoring ofthe'tea-ring strip.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side view of a can to show the manner in whichthe key or opener engages the tearing strip.

Throughout the figures similar numerals refer to identical parts.

A can body is shown by the numeral 1, to which is sealed the bottom 2,along the double seam 3.

The top is shown at 4 double seamed at 5 to the body portion 1 and isprovided with the inner flanged portion 6, normally in frictionalengagement with the internal projecting bead 7 in the body portion 1.

This bead presents an inner convex surface against which the outersurface of the flanged portion 6 frictionally engages.

At 8 and 9 are conventional score lines in the body of the can materialbetween the bead 7 and the seam 5.

At 10 is a tongue projecting from the tearing strip 14 over which thekey or opener is adapted to initially engage as indicated in Fig. 6.

Between the score lines 8 and 9 are the herring bone scorings 12-12, toinsure the tearing along the lines of the scorings 8, 9 when the key 13is employed to wind and therefore tear the strip 1 1 from the bodyportion 1.

When the key 13 has been wound about the periphery of the can, thetearing strip 14 will have been removed completely around the upperportion of the body between the bead 7 and seam 5, leaving the parts inthe position shown in Fig. 3, with the top freed from the bottom but infrictional engagement between the flanged portion 6 and head 7, all asset forth in the above mentioned co-pending application.

Our present invention is directed particularly to the key or opener andits combination with the can, and this we accomplish by pressing,rolling or otherwise forming in a portion of the can and preferably inthe top portion thereof, a circular flanged portion either extendingupward or downward from the surface of the can.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the key or opener is illustrated as fitting into aflanged recess in the top of the can, whereas in Figs. 3 and the openeris shown as being sprung over and held in frictional engagement with anupstanding flanged portion of the top of the can.

When the top of the can of Fig. 1 is being formed, the annular recess20, is formed therein with the overhanging projecting edge 21. The keyor opener 13 is formed of spring wire and has an engaging portion at 22WhICh normally seats under the projecting edge 21 and within the recess20, the other end 23 of the key 13 engaging under the A projecting edgeon the opposite side of the annular portion 20.

The key may be removed by slipping the finger under the body of the keyfor which purpose the recess 24 is provided.

Referring particularly to Figs. 3 and 4 an upstanding circular [lungedportiou is shown provided in the cow-r at 30.

This has an annular peripheral recess 31. with an overhanging extendingedge 32.

The key adapted to this form of flanged can is shown at 33 having acircular linger grip portion 3 1 which is adapted to engage within therecess 31 and under the overhang ing edge and due to the spring materialat 34 which is initially wound to a slightly smaller circle than that ofrecess 31, springs over the edge 32 and into place within the recess 31and is there held frictionally until such time as the user desires toopen the can when the key is removed by grasping the projecting shankportion and pulling it over the edge 32.

lVith either form of can or key there is available at once, when the canarrives in the hands of the user, an opener freely and readily removablefrom the can which may be employed to remove the tearing strip about theperiphery and thus open the can.

Special attention is drawn to the form of the key 13 which is made up ofspring wire bent in its shank portion, providing the loop 26 adapted toengage the tongue 10.

WVhile the finger recess 2a is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as immediatelyunder the center or body portion of the key it will now be apparent thatthis recess may be of greater diameter and concentric with the flangedportion so as to extend out and under the finger gripped portions of thekey as indicated by the dotted circle 27 if desired, in which case thekey may be gripped under the spring end 28 to remove it from the recessor a finger depression may be made in any portion to suit the taste andrequirements of individual makers.

\Ve claim:

1. In a can adapted to be opened by a finger operable key, a flangedportion having an annular recess with an overhanging edge flanged fromthe can material and adapted to receive and to frictionally hold afinger operable key, said flanged portion depressed in an otherwise flatpart of said can, and a finger space further depressed in and below thebottom of said recess.

2. In a can adapted to be opened by a finger operable key, a flangedportion having an annular recess with an overhanging edge flanged fromthe can material and adapted to receive and to frictionally hold afinger operable key, said flanged portion depressed in an otherwise flatpart of said can. and a finger space further depressed in and below thebottom of said recess and a key member formed of spring materialfrictionally engaged within said recess.

3. A can comprising a body portion, a top double seamed to said body,parallel scorings in said body setting oif a tearing strip adjacent tosaid seam, said top flanged inwardly forming a friction surfacesubstantially cylindrical and engaging frictionally against the innersurface of the can body beyond the tearing strip and engagingfrictionally within the can body when the tearing strip is removed, anexternally project-' 1 ing re-enforcing bead on the can body adjacentthe tearing strip, a key adapted to engage and remove said tearing stripto open the can and a circular depressed recess in said top a'dapted tofrictionally engage and hold said key and having a depressed portionforming a finger space below the bottom of said recess to admit of thefinger being inserted under and to remove the key.

GEORGE A. BARDET. WILFORD E. BURNS.

